Sah’ra paced back and forth in her room—lost in her thoughts. She had been a member of a previous security detail. Through that experience, she was one of the few who understood the danger humans posed to the other galaxies.

As a result, she ended up stuck in a quandary—should she keep silent and let things be or should she head over to speak with Ga’ruk and offer up her expertise? She sighed. It was not going to be an easy decision.

“I’m going to leave it up to fate,” she voiced aloud. “If my coin lands on heads, I will keep silent. If it lands on tails, I will go speak with Ga’ruk.”

She reached for her lucky coin on her nightstand, flicked it up, and followed the coin’s progression. She closed her eyes as the coin hit the ground and flipped itself over—not daring to look at the result. After some time, she took a deep breath, opened one eye, and peeked at the outcome. It was tails.

Hm… Fate has spoken. I’ll go pay Ga’ruk a visit tomorrow. In the meantime, I will do all I can to make sure his transition—from a mere lieutenant to a commanding officer—goes as smoothly as possible.

The next morning, Sah’ra headed for the security detail’s main building.

“Hello, I need to speak with Commander Ga’ruk,” she told the receptionist.

“Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked.

“No.”

“Sorry ma’am, when the commander came in this morning, he told us to screen his meetings—he will not meet with anyone without an appointment.”

“Tell him governing board member Sah’ra, is here on urgent business.”

“Okay!” the receptionist squeaked.

She pressed a button on her desk and said, “Commander Ga’ruk, board member Sah’ra is requesting an audience.”

Why would board member Sah’ra ask for an audience? Ga’ruk thought. She has already helped me out by paving the way for an effortless transition to power for me. Is she here to cash in the favor?

“Very well. Show her to my office.”

Minutes later, Ga’ruk heard a knock on his door.

“Come in,” he said.

He stood up as his receptionist opened the door and watched Sah’ra enter the room.

“Board member Sah’ra, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person,” he said.

“Please, call me Sah’ra. Thank you for meeting with me on short notice,” she said as she gazed around his office, pausing briefly on the unorganized stacks of paper on his desk and surrounding chairs.

Ga’ruk followed along with her gaze and observed piles of documents strewn all over his office.

“Sorry about the mess. It has been a wild day and half. I have been far too busy reading reports. I must not let this next mission be deemed a failure,” he said as he moved to clear some papers off of a chair. “Please have a seat.”

“Thank you,” Sah’ra said.

“Thank you for all the help you have given me. I have been able to access everything I need without impediment,” Ga’ruk said as he continued to move papers around.

“You’re welcome. Do let me know if you require access to anything that you aren’t approved for. I’ll do my best to get ahold of it for you.”

“Will do. Anyhow, what brings you to the security detail’s headquarters today?”

When he didn’t get a response, Ga’ruk stopped what he was doing and gazed in Sah’ra’s direction. He noticed that she was reading some of the documents he had left on a nearby chair. He watched with interest as Sah’ra flipped through the pages and sighed.

“Captain Ca’luc’s sacrifice was an enormous loss for us all. I’m sure you understand more than most the significance of his loss. Sadly, it’s a pity not many understand the significance of his loss,” Sah’ra began. “Thankfully, he left behind plenty of observations and documentations.”

“Indeed.”

“The reason I’m here today is to lend you a helping hand.”

Shocked, Ga’ruk stumbled and felt compelled to take a seat. He gazed inquisitively at Sah’ra—trying to discern whether she was telling the truth or not. He didn’t know much about her—only a few rumors here and there. He heard that she had been one of two mainstays on the governing board—she had managed to outlast many of the changes that caused the downfall of her peers. Furthermore, it was said the only reason she managed to avoid the constant turnover was because she never took part in any major issue—she remained neutral.

“I’m listening,” Ga’ruk said.

Sah’ra fidgeted in her seat and paused. It seemed to Ga’ruk she was conflicted about whether she should reveal her secrets.

He watched as she took a deep breath before he said, “You don’t have to force yourself to say anything. Your help has been more than enough.”

“It’s okay. Not many people know this, but I was a previous member of a security detail…”

Sah’ra paused once more as her words trailed off. Under normal circumstances, Ga’ruk’s impatience would’ve led him to press for a clear, concise answer; however, with Sah’ra’s current revelation, he restrained himself. Her last sentence changed everything. For Sah’ra to personally come to his office and reveal such sensitive information, as it may seem, Ga’ruk was inclined to hear her out. He hoped that she would share her experiences as a member of a past security detail, offer him advice, and help him plan out an adequate strategy to take on the humans.

“Before I became a board member, I was a science officer commissioned on Captain Ca’luc’s ship.”

“Oh?”

“I don’t think it would come as much of a surprise if I told you that ever since I retired from the security force, I have kept in close contact with Captain Ca’luc and kept an eye out for any issues regarding the humans for him.”

Ga’ruk nodded.

“Ever since you brought back news of his passing, I have been reviewing my own notes and observations in hopes of discovering something we may have overlooked.”

“Did you find anything?”

“Not yet, but as I was analyzing the data, it dawned on me that we should look to the past and attempt learn from it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Right now, you are faced with two major problems. The first being getting the governing board to grasp the gravity of this conflict and the second being crafting an efficient battle plan to confront humanity’s forces.”

“I’m already aware of those issues, Sah’ra,” Ga’ruk said dismissively.

“My apologies for stating the obvious, commander, but please be patient I still haven’t made my point yet.”

“Okay.”

“To solve the first, I hope you have already read Captain Ca’luc’s notes and recognized his frustrations whenever he had to deal with the Alliance’s governing board?”

“Yes. In the past, whenever I heard him vent his frustrations regarding the board members, I thought he was merely exaggerating the extent of their ignorance, but after my sole meeting with them, I have to agree with his conclusion—a majority of the board members are bigots.”

“Agreed,” Sah’ra replied calmly. “As I said earlier, we must look to the past and learn from it. After years of study, one thing I have constantly noted is that history repeats itself.”

“Go on?”

“Over the past few chaos cycles, you must have witnessed Captain Ca’luc repeatedly enter Alliance’s headquarters and ask for deployment orders, correct?”

Ga’ruk nodded.

“Time and time again, the Alliance refused to give the deployment orders. Do you understand why?”

Ga’ruk shook his head.

“He always used the same arguments as his predecessors did—the humans are a threat because they thrive on chaos—and never once attempted to change his way of thinking. Every time, I tried to help him and offer him input, he brushed me aside. He wanted to do things his own way.”

Ga’ruk worked to hold back a smile—it was so like the captain to refuse help.

Sah’ra continued, “After decades of listening to the same arguments over and over again and watching their deployment forces easily crush the humans, the Alliance has gone complacent in their thinking. In their opinion, Captain Ca’luc and his predecessors had grown bored sitting around and wanted a deployment order to bring some excitement back into their lives. What you need is a different approach and new arguments.”

Ga’ruk felt his frustration disappear. What Sah’ra said made sense—he had read the captain’s notes and logs and repeatedly found that the captain usually used his predecessors’ arguments as the starting point.

“How should I craft a new argument?” he asked.

“For starters, you have me in your corner. From now on, I’ll be a more active participant in board member meetings.”

“Thank you.”

“Furthermore, did you happen to come across the section, in Captain Ca’luc’s notes, dedicated to humanity’s discovery and use of atomic power?

“Yes, I have.”

“What did you gather from the data?”

Ga’ruk paused. He understood Sah’ra wanted him to make the inference himself, but he didn’t know what it was she was hinting at.

“Just the usual,” he said. “The humans discovered how to harness atomic power in an attempt to put a quick end to the war. They didn’t really care about how many lives were lost in the ensuing explosion.”

“Correct.”

“The humans developed atomic power and used it without regard for the loss of life?”

“Yes, the humans put scientific innovation first and foremost; however, when they discover a potential military application for an invention, they will devote all of their resources to weaponize it for military purposes.”

“Okay?”

“In the case of the nuclear bomb, the humans discovered how to induce nuclear fission and split a radioactive atom into smaller nuclei. Without any regard for the loss of human life, they immediately decided to test their new weapon on an unsuspecting country. The humans willingly put their entire existence in jeopardy without further regard for potential consequences to themselves or to their home planet. What does this action tell you about the humans, commander?”

Ga’ruk fell silent as he pondered over Sah’ra’s question. He didn’t know what to say.

“All it tells me is the humans are a dangerous threat to themselves and to the other galaxies.”

“True, but what I’m trying to get at is the humans are an unpredictable force.”

“What do you mean?” Ga’ruk asked.

“I’m sure you know by now that humanity thrives on chaos. It is a part of them. We have both seen it first hand—how unpredictable the humans are. One moment they are trying to build a civilization, the next moment they are butting heads over petty differences. I feel you should emphasize humanity’s unpredictable and brazen nature in future meetings with the governing board.”

“Understood, but didn’t Captain Ca’luc and his predecessors at least touch upon the humans’ unpredictability?”

“Yes and no. Captain Ca’luc and his predecessors did point out humanity’s unpredictable nature, but they never bothered to emphasize and connect it to potential ramifications it creates.”

Sah’ra paused for a moment to allow Ga’ruk to digest the information.

“If you want the Alliance to realize how much of a threat the humans are, you must shift the conversation to focus on these points.”

“Wasn’t I forcibly removed last time for addressing potential scenarios?”

“You had tried their patience by barging in earlier. It was a miracle they even bothered to hear you out. Not only that, you basically threatened them with your last sentence—humans could develop hyper drive and launch attacks on Alliance held planets—without proof to back it up.”

“Oh.”

“This time will be different. Using the atomic bomb as the basis of your argument, you will explore the potential, immediate consequences of what would happen when they achieve hyper drive.”

Ga’ruk sat there silent. He understood what Sah’ra was telling him to do, but he wasn’t prepared to follow through with the plan.

“Now consider what a hyper drive engine does—it rips apart space and time in ways we still can’t comprehend. Imagine that in the humans’ hands.”

Ga’ruk found himself speechless. He had never once considered that possibility.

“But is it possible to weaponize a hyper drive engine?” he asked.

“Who knows, but given the humans’ lust for battle, it might be possible. If they managed to weaponize a hyper drive engine, the universe will never be the same again.”

Ga’ruk was stunned. Sah’ra had opened the door for actual action to be taken. In fact, the Alliance might give the human threat the respect and attention it required.

“Would the governing board understand the gravity of the situation?”

“Potentially,” Sah’ra said as she stood up.

Ga’ruk rose to his feet as well.

“Before I forget, I believe you should have this,” Sah’ra said as she reached into her bag, took out a small blue drive, and handed it to Ga’ruk.

“In this drive, you will find drafts of several battle plans that Captain Ca’luc and I devised solely for the sake of winning the war against the humans. I hope you will take these plans into consideration when you plan your method of attack.”

“Thank you, Sah’ra.”

“I have nothing more to say. Hopefully, you will learn something from these battle plans. I’ll leave you to your work, commander. If you need my assistance, my door is always open. Good luck.”

Sah’ra walked out of Ga’ruk’s office, leaving him in stunned silence. Everything changed. He now had a plan of attack. He looked at the drive in his hand and inserted it into his terminal.

Now it’s finally time to get to work, he thought. It’s time to convince the Alliance that the humans are a force to be reckoned with.